I Will Wait For You
by The Author's Fingers
Summary: Pan and Trunks realise that they can never be together while so far apart in age. Pan is going to do something about it, but is it something she will regret? A TP that finally embraces the age difference rather than ignores it. Nothing new, ch3 restored.
1. A Moment of Peace

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I WILL WAIT FOR YOU

__

If you are not too long, I will wait here for you all my life. – Oscar Wilde

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragonball or any of the Dragonball characters, concepts or settings. Yes, I am stupid enough to do all this work for no money!

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Authors notes: This story just wouldn't go away, so here it is. Umm, I'm NOT a romance writer, but this does contain a lot of romance in it so don't get stressed when I go all mushy. I'm not made to write this sort of stuff. It's just how the story turned out. I'm not even a huge T/P fan. Sometimes you just have to let your fingers walk across the keyboard. That's how I got my name. I actually write under another name at FF.net, but I wanted to post this under a different name because quite frankly I am ashamed to claim it as my own. I have my reservations about posting this, so be honest in your reviews. I want to know if I should continue posting this. I'll continue writing it, no matter what because otherwise it just won't go away, but whether or not you wanna read it is up to you.

By the way, I don't plan this to take very long and I'm not really putting my entire heart and soul into it so don't expect too much. More of a conceptual story than anything. Oh, yes, I realise the title is a cliche and sounds really crappy, but I think its perfect for the story. May change it if something better comes and smacks me over the head, but again, this story isn't getting my full attention.

***

There wasn't a time they could remember that they had spent enough time together. Whenever they found themselves alone someone would interrupt them. Pan believed that fate was conspiring against them. Trunks knew that it wasn't fate to blame. Gohan knew something was going on, but never acknowledged it. Trunks knew he was just waiting for proof. As for Bulma, she definately knew, which meant Vegeta would know, but again they had bit their tongues. However, just because they never said anything it didn't mean that they didn't have anything against it. At every chance they would divide the two, trying to crush the romance out of the situation. Little did they know they were making the fire burn stronger. That which is forbidden becomes far more enticing.

"Trunks." Pan looked up at Trunks. He was sitting on his bed, right next to her.

"Babe." Trunks looked down and smiled. Normally they would just sit in silence, enjoying the company. He loved it when she talked though, she had such wonderful and original ideas. Of course, these opinions came from behind rose tinted glasses.

Pan took in a deep breath, she suddenly looked tired and Trunks saw a touch of desperation in her eyes. "This can't go on forever and you know it. This isn't any fun, this is just too hard."

Trunks didn't like the way this was sounding. "Pan, you can't give up on me now. My parents are trying to keep you away, but they can't be around us twenty four seven."

"It's not just them Trunks. It seems fate is against us. 14 years is a big difference."

Trunks searched for the right words to say, but couldn't think of anything. His mouth hung open for a second. Pan waited patiently for a response he obviously was trying to get out. Eventually he managed to stumble over several words. "Don't tell me they've brainwashed you into believing that."

"NO!" Pan was shocked at what Trunks was understanding from the conversation. She was trying to tell him something she'd been putting off for so long and now all he could think about was his self assurance.

Trunks was confused by the sudden change of tone. "What are you saying then? Sorry I don't-"

"Trunks, I'm saying we are going to do something about this."

"What? What can we do?" Trunks was becoming highly agitated. He couldn't understand what Pan was saying, but it sounded suspiciously like he was about to be dumped. If that happened he would kill his parents, this was all their fault.

Frustrated by his lack of will to understand Pan started to snap, "Trunks, shut up and listen for a second."

"I'm listening." Trunks abruptly shut his mouth and looked at Pan, waiting for her to deal the final blow.

Pan tried to work through her ideas as logically as possible. "OK, there is only one way the world is going to let us be together, right?"

Trunks thought for a second. "Well, if we were the same age I guess. But we can't exactly change that."

"Yes we can."

Lost again Trunks asked, "How? Explain, you are not making any sense."

"It's simple. What's the one way we have of manipulating time? No don't answer, you'll just get confused and off the track again. We need to gain some time." Pan waited for any signs of understanding on Trunks's face. Seeing none she continued, "Ergo, we use the Room of Spirit and Time."

Trunks's head was hung in concentration, but shot up at the last few words. "What? That doesn't make any sense. You'd have to stay there for years, alone."

"Trunks, can you come help me in here?" Bulma called out.

"Give me a minute Mum." Trunks replied hastily, almost snapping. He tried to keep the stress out of his voice though to avoid worrying his mother.

"Trunks, I've made up my mind. I'm going to see Dende tomorrow."

For once Trunks wasn't lost for words. Ideas and hopes and fears had suddenly swelled up in his head and he felt he would burst if he didn't get them out soon. "He won't let you use it. Besides, you'll go mad all by yourself for a year."

"Several years." Pan corrected.

"Whatever. You can't waste so many years of your life like that. What's Gohan gonna say when you come back and you're a woman."

"Maybe he'll say happy Birthday."

"Pan, I'm serious." Trunks was worried by her reckless attitude. Didn't she realise what she was letting herself in for?

"So am I."

Pan looked up at Trunks and he saw the determination. That's for me he thought. Suddenly conscience kicked in. "Pan, I can't let you do this. You mean too much to me. If you persist with this then I'm...I'm gonna tell Gohan."

"You wouldn't."

"I would." The two were caught in a staring conversation for a second. Both angry with each other, yet both more in love than was good for them.

Pan suddenly started to work at Trunks's weak spot. "Trunks. Just think, once this part is over with we can be together."

Trunks couldn't deny that the idea of being accepted as Pan's mate was an appealing one, but he couldn't put this onto her. "You don't know that. You'll still be Gohan's little girl and I don't think he cares how old you are, it's how old you seem."

Pan didn't like the challenges to her logic and settled with, "I'm going."

"What kind of argument is that?"

Resigning to her fate Pan sighed. "I don't need this. I'll see you in two weeks Trunks." With that she levitated into the air before disappearing out the open window she had entered only moments before.

"Pan wait." Trunks called after her.

Pan was already gone. Trunks ran a hand through his hair, making a fist. He was now faced with the hardest decision he'd have to make and it would have to be made alone. There was something enticing about the idea, he had to admit it had its advantages, but deep down he knew that Dende wouldn't even let her go in The Room of Spirit and Time. Realising that he settled down on his bed to sleep.

"Trunks." Bulma called out again.

****

The Next Day...

Trunks woke up to the sound of static. He rolled over and slapped the button on his alarm clock, telling himself that he'd have to find a radio station on that clock one day. Grudgingly he dragged himself from bed and pulled on some clothes and stumbled down the hallway. He glanced at his watch, noting that he was up relatively early. His brain was still fuzzy from sleep though and he felt there was something he had to remember, like a dream that fondled the tip of his mind but refused to be remembered. He collapsed into a chair at the kitchen table and his mother come over and put some breakfast before him. "Morning Trunks."

"Morning Mum."

"You're up reasonably early."

"Yeah."

Trunks sat eating for a moment. The full stomach must have kicked his brain into gear because suddenly last nights events all came flooding back to him. "Pa-". He stopped himself quickly, but Bulma still noticed the outburst.

"What's wrong Trunks?"

"Umm, Mum, I've got stuff to do. It's really important OK. Can you just let me have today off? Thanks. I've gotta go." With that he ran from the table, knocking his chair over as he did so. Just then Vegeta walked into the room.

"What was all that about he asked?"

"I don't know." Bulma replied, still looking in the direction Trunks had disappeared in.

*

When Trunks landed he could see Pan and Dende talking. He breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm not too late." he whispered to himself. He rushed over to talk to the pair. "Pan!"

"Trunks! What are you doing here? I told you that I wasn't going to change my mind."

"And neither am I for that matter." Dende butted in. "So you were in on this Trunks?"

"Sorta." Trunks confessed.

"You realise that I can't let you use the Room of Spirit and Time for a little love affair. It's against the rules, not to mention plain wrong. How could you condone your own girlfriend throwing all those years of her life away for you?" Dende demanded.

Trunks looked in Pan's direction as he replied. "I don't condone it. If I could stop it I would, but I know that anyone who tries to stop Son Pan getting her way is asking for trouble. That is why I offer her my support in her decision, regardless of what I think." Pan looked at Trunks, surprised. She had expected the others to be there. Last night she was sure that Trunks would have announced her plan and she had hated herself for sharing her secret with Trunks. Now she knew why she took the risk and why it wasn't a risk at all. Trunks was worth it because he would never tell anyone, he trusted her too much.

Dende still didn't approve and continued trying to discourage Pan. "You'll be bored out of your mind you know. The only way I could let you in is if it was necessary for the Earth's survival."

Both Trunks and Pan broke their eye contact and looked at Dende as if he had just grown an extra eye. "I'm going to train while I'm there so that I can effectively protect the earth when Goku and Vegeta are gone. If we don't start training young warriors now we will be left with and old and obsolite defence."

"No way. You can just train in normal time, just like everyone else."

"Dad won't let me. I'll miss too much school. This is the only way Dende." Pan started to advance and stood menacingly before Dende. Trunks moved up behind her, his intentions clear. Both knew that Dende would give in.

Dende looked at his feet then back at the two warriors. "Well I suppose I have no choice then. This way."

Trunks and Pan followed in silence. They came to a halt just before the doors of the Room of Sprit and Time. Dende stepped away, allowing them a little privacy.

"Trunks, you know I have to do this right? It's the only way the world will accept us as a couple."

"I know Pan. I just wish I could come with you. This is going to be easy for me, you're the one who is going to do the hard work."

"Trunks, it'll be easy because I know I'm doing it for you. Wait for me Trunks."

"Always. Wait for me Pan."

"You know it. I'll see you tomorrow." 

"I'll see you in a year." With that Trunks watched Pan step away from him and into a world beyond. A couple of tears rolled down his cheeks, but he wasn't crying for himself. He was crying for what Pan was doing to herself. The scary thing was that he would have done the same thing for her in an instant. He turned around and nodded a thanks towards Dende, he had after all gone far beyond the call of duty. Then Trunks leapt off the platform and felt himself hurtling toward earth. He reached terminal velocity and let himself fall for several seconds more before he saw the earth approaching at a dangerously close rate. At the last second he regained control of his flight path and flew off to a secluded spot in the woods.

*

Pan couldn't help but be awe struck by the surroundings. She was in a void where it seemed nothing but her existed. Trying not to be intimidated by the long periods of solitude that lay ahead she started a warm up. She wondered what Trunks would tell her father, she probably should have helped him come up with a cover story, but Trunks would think of something. He was a smart boy. Anyway, Dad should be proud of me, she thought to herself. I'm finally devoting myself to training. Her motives, however, would not be approved of. In a way she almost felt grateful that she was on this end of the bargain. She'd hate to be Trunks when Gohan came looking for her.

***

Ok, I don't know if people actually age in the Room of Spirit and Time, but if they don't then just pretend they do. Umm, other than that I should tell you that this story is going to develop into a action/adventure type story in later chapters so don't expect this to be all mush.

Oh yeah, please review. I'd like to know if I'm any good at this romance stuff.


	2. An Unusual Proposition

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I WILL WAIT FOR YOU

Disclaimer: I don't own Dragonball and I'm not making money off this.

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Authors Notes: Alright, it seems something was rather unclear in my first chapter. Pan is intending to come out of the ROSAT every day and then re-enter. Sorry if I didn't explain well enough, but this chapter should clarify that all, I hope. Not much else to say other than thanks for reviewing. There's been quite a few reviews for what I didn't even consider a good story. Again, I'm not very used to writing romance so please bear with my clumsy efforts and as always – please review.

***

Trunks lay on his back among the moist scrub, staring at the sky. Already he missed Pan. "Quit being so selfish," he scolded himself. He only had to wait a day before he could see her again and she would have to wait a year. He looked at his watch, Pan would be re-emerging from the Room of Spirit and Time in twenty three hours and eighteen minutes. He tucked his hands behind his head resting. His ki was relatively low, he assumed nobody would be able to find him. Technically he should be at work by now, but he thought this warranted a break.

Without warning a huge ki flared up. Trunks jumped up with a start. He didn't need to concentrate on who it was or where it was coming from, that was already blatantly obvious. Trunks forced his ki down, hoping to hide from the wrath of an angry father. Luck was not on Trunks's side today.

*

Pan took in a deep breath and opened her eyes. She could feel a faint ache in her muscles, but nothing she wasn't used to. It was only her second day here so she let herself go easy yesterday. The only reason she was actually training was to stop herself going mad from boredom and solitude and if she was going to give up all these years of her life the last thing she wanted was to become a bitter and antisocial character. Realising that ten years of philosophy wasn't going to get her anyway she rose and started on a more intensive warm up than yesterday. "Three hundred and sixty four days till I can see Trunks." she said.

*

"Trunks, have you seen Pan?" The voice was deathly calm. Trunks's eyes flitted back and forward trying to avoid Gohan's stare.

"No. Why?"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, that's what I said."

"You're positive, because you know that if I find out you're lying to me I will tear you from limb to limb."

Trunks gulped, he knew it wasn't an empty threat. "Gohan, Pan probably just went to school early to catch up on some work or something. Don't worry about her, she can take protect herself."

"Yes, she can, but sometimes she doesn't know when she needs protecting." The implications of Gohans words were not lost on Trunks, but he chose to ignore the not so subtle insult.

"Look, Gohan. I haven't seen her, OK. If I do I will let you know."

"Thank you."

"Sure."

"Trunks why are you out in the middle of nowhere? Aren't you meant to be working?"

"Uh, well, yeah, but no. I guess, well, umm, its like this." Trunks didn't get a coherent sentence out before Gohan looked him over suspiciously once more, catching Trunks's eye just to let him know that he was fully aware something was up. Then Gohan took to the sky, leaving with the same speed he had arrived with.

Trunks let himself lean backwards against a tree and slid down it. "Gohan's going to kill me," he muttered.

It didn't seem like much time had passed before the sun began to fall low in the sky casting long shadows around Trunks. He hadn't moved from his secluded spot. Although his unusual behaviour would surely cast him into a suspicious position he didn't care. He had needed the time to mull over the last two days events. They had taken place in a flash and he seemed to have no control over them. They should have been the most crucial moments in his life, but somehow they hadn't taken their full impact up until now. He could hardly believe that Pan would be living an entire year in the course of this single day. It was incomprehensible and whenever he tried to comprehend it his brain just ran in repetitive and pointless loops.

A beep from his watch indicated to Trunks that it was seven o'clock. Taking this as his cue he jumped into the air and flew home at a very seduced pace.

When Trunks arrived home he could hear his parents arguing inside. Although it was not an unusual occurrence in his household he did consider the topic rather peculiar. If he didn't know better he would have sworn they were discussing him. He walked in the door and both his parents stopped arguing and looked at him. He muttered a greeting and walked through the room in silence, feeling two pairs of eyes firmly locked on him. When he left the room he could hear the caucus begin again. This confirmed his suspicions and he figured that Gohan must have called.

While approaching his bedroom he passed Bra in the hallway. "Hey." he said rather glumly.

"Hey." Bra continued down the hallway as if nothing was wrong, but she secretly watched Trunks over her shoulder, wondering what he and Pan were up to. She was of course aware of Pan's absence, but not really sure if she should be covering or not. She hesitated for a second before turning abruptly and running after her brother calling after him.

Trunks heard the cries and turned around and found himself face to face with his sister. "Where's Pan?" she demanded.

"I don't know."

Bra grabbed her brother's sleeve and pulled him down the hallway and into his room. She threw him towards the bed and shut the door behind her. She pulled up a chair to her brother and sat staring at him, unwilling to break the silence.

Eventually Trunks gave in. "Bra, what do you want?"

"I want to know what you and Pan are up to."

"Why do you think I would know what Pan's doing?"  


"Because you two are _always_ together. Besides, you're not yourself. You disappear for a day then come home higly depressed."

"So?"  


"And all this just _happens_ to occur on the exact same day Pan goes missing?"

"Yes."

"Aha! How did you know Pan was missing? I'm probably the first person you've talked to today."

"After Gohan."

"Oh," Bra said, sounding very disappointed.

"Look, I'm sorry Pan's missing, but I'm sure she is fine."

"OK, sure you keep telling yourself that. Just remember if Pan needs a cover then I'm perfect for the job, but I don't work without information." With that Bra triumphantly marched out of the room, frustrated that she hadn't found out what Trunks was up to. She just knew that something was going on, she just hoped it wasn't what it looked like. Sure Pan and Trunks made a cute couple, but he was _way_ too old for her.

*

Pan kicked out at an invisible enemy and continued the perfectly formed combination. All this time to herself had made a lot of difference, not only to her strength but her state of mind. She had gotten used to the solitude very quickly, but the silence was something else. It was simply too quiet. Often she would yell into the emptiness, willing the sound to last and echo around her ears. She blamed herself though, it was lack of preparation. If she had considered the fact that she would be in utter quiet for an entire year then maybe she would have had the sense to bring a walkman at the least. When she was mentally preparing herself for the task ahead she had only considered the loneliness. However, through the past months she hadn't felt truly alone because she knew that while Trunks was around she could never be alone. Trunks was here in everything except for body and at night she would fall asleep with the fatigue attacking her mind and Trunks soothing her brow. Trunks had always chased away the demons in her life when she was a child and now that she was finally growing up nothing had changed.

*

"Gohan, I'm not lying to you. I haven't seen Pan." Trunks said, almost backed up to a wall.

Videl broke into the argument, obviously more trusting than Gohan. "Look Trunks, it's alright. We are just really worried about her. She has never disappeared without telling us where she is going before and she seems really close to you so we figured she might have said something."

Trunks thought fast. He couldn't maintain that he hadn't seen her forever or they'd probably get the entire police force and go completely insane while waiting. He had to think of a cover and fast. "Umm, well the last time I saw her, she said something about..."

"About what?" Gohan demanded.

"Er, about going away."

"Going where?" Gohan almost screamed. "You're going to need to be more specific Trunks."

"She said that she was thinking about going for a holiday, just to get away from it all. You know." What was that, he asked himself. He had to restrain himself from slapping himself right then and there.

"On a school night?" Gohan asked as if Trunks had just given a chilly weather report on HFIL.

"Well, I guess so."

Videl once more tried to defuse the situation. "Come on Gohan. If Pan's gone for a holiday then I'm sure she'll contact us soon. She's a strong girl. She'll be fine. If we haven't heard from her by tomorrow afternoon then we'll start looking."

"No way. I'm looking for her now. Trunks, you are coming with me." Gohan said.

"And so are you Vegeta." Bulma cut in, speaking for the first time.

Vegeta was standing in a far off corner, his arms crossed trying to look completely disinterested in the situation. "No, I am not."

"Bulma, it's OK. I'm sure that Gohan and Trunks will be able to find her." Videl said, uncomfortable about the imposition her husband was putting the entire Briefs family in.

Gohan agreed with his wife, although for different reasons. Vegeta was far too arrogant and was likely to just make any existing situation worse. "Yeah, she's right Bulma."

Bulma felt a bit like she was being ganged up on here, but decided not to take it any further and simply shrugged it off.

Gohan leaned over to his wife and whispered, "I'm going to go ask Dad to help."

Videl looked at him accusingly, but said nothing. She'd already put everyone out enough.

Bulma, Vegeta and Bra watched as the three burst off into the night sky, leaving a bright trail behind them. Vegeta made a low grunt and then walked off, probably to continue training. He could tell something was going on here and it wasn't Pan going on a holiday.

*

The sound of static echoed through the room. Trunks subconsciously ran a hand over his face, letting it rest there to block out the morning light. He had been up most of last night searching for Pan, still insisting that she had probably just gone on a break. Gohan had wondered why Trunks hadn't mentioned anything earlier but he maintained that he only remembered it afterwards. Gohan didn't like what was going on, but there was no evidence to prove that Pan hadn't just gone on a holiday. He had to admit that Trunks didn't seem to be hiding Pan in his back pocket. A small groan escaped Trunks's lips as he began to slowly wake up. As soon as his mind kicked into action though he was out of bed, into some clothes and out the window. Pan was about to complete her first year and he wasn't going to miss her brief intermission. With the excitement of a young schoolboy he zipped through the sky unable to contain his joyous grin. At the same time something worried him though. A year was a long time and a lot could change in that time. What if Pan hadn't coped with the solitude? She was too stubborn to back out, he knew that much. The thoughts sobered him a little, but he was still too excited to be depressed. He was going to see Pan.

He made a rather clumbsy landing, but that was of little concern to him. He rushed up to the Room of Spirit and Time, but when he came nearer he slowed his pace. Once more fear began to overcome him, fear of the uncertain. He wasn't given much time to ponder over this though for only seconds after he arrived at the doorway it opened.

Trunks took a cautious step forward before rushing up to Pan who stood in the doorway with a huge grin on her face. "Trunks," she whispered. They both took each other up in a very loving embrace, neither sure of what to say. To Trunks, Pan didn't look much older. A long silence reigned.

"How are you?" Trunks finally managed to get out.

Pan nodded, with tears forming in her eyes. "Alright." she croaked.

They held each other tightly once more, Pan rejoicing in the arms of the man she had missed so dearly. Although it pained her to do so she brought her hands up between them and gently pushed him away. "I'd better get back. Bring me a walkman or something next time will you?" she said quietly.

"What? Already?" Trunks could not believe his ears. She had been away from him for an entire year and all she said to him was 'alright' and 'I'd better get back.'

"If I stay then I don't think I'll ever go back. Time is no longer relative. Every second I spend here with you is hours that I should be spending catching up to you." Pan seemed to have regained control of her voice, now speaking quite clearly and confidently.

"But…" Trunks stuttered. It didn't seem right. He felt terrible trying to make her do something as she was definitely on the hard side of the bargain, but surely she could have a break.

"No, don't question it. Don't make me stay here too long, I've gotten myself used to the solitude now. I don't need to gain you again, just to loose you in the matter of a day. Besides, where would I go. I can't exactly just stroll in the door and announce to Dad that I'm a year older now."

"You wouldn't have to tell him." Trunks reasoned.

"No, I wouldn't. He just would know."

Both stood there speechless, not really sure what to say. Pan took this as an indication for her to leave and she casually strolled back towards the doors.

"Pan!" Trunks called out, just before she entered.

"Yeah?"

"Umm, I don't suppose I'm allowed to let Bra in on this. She would provide good cover."

"No way. The last time I trusted her with an actual secret it half way across the country within hours." Pan said with a slight touch of malice.

"Well…" Trunks ventured.

"Well what?"

"Could you ring your Dad then? I told him you were on a holiday and if you don't talk to him soon he's going to take it out on me. He's convinced we're up to something." Trunks hated doing this to Pan, realising her wishes not to regain contact with the world.

Pan choked back a laugh. "You got a phone?" she eventually said, rather reluctantly.

Trunks reached into his pocket and produced a cellphone. Pan moved a little closer to get it. She dialed her home phone number put the phone up to her ear.

"Hi Dad, its Pan here."

Trunks waited for the fit of hysteria.

"Just letting you know that I've gone on a holiday to sort out my life," she said winking at Trunks. "I'll be back within two weeks OK? Love you. You too Mum." With that she pressed a button on the phone and tossed it back towards Trunks who caught it rather shakily.

"Did you just leave a message?"

"Yeah, they're at work." Pan said, as if it were the most obvious thing ever.

"So call them there."

"I'd rather not." With that Pan continued on through the door, disappearing once more.

***


	3. Gohan's Wrath

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I WILL WAIT FOR YOU

Disclaimer: I don't own Dragonball or any of the characters. They belong to Akira Toriyama. I am stupid enough to do all this work for no money.

Gohan walked in the door and picked up the phone to dial the police. He'd held up his side of the bargain, it was now the afternoon and he still hadn't heard from his baby girl. He noted that he had a message waiting for him, but completely disregarded it. He had his priorities straight. As he was dialling the number Videl walked in. He nodded an acknowledgement to her while she removed her shoes. The phone rang about 15 times and still nobody answered and Gohan began to grow very agitated. Videl watched her husband in curiosity, still not quite sure who Gohan was ringing. She gently tapped him on the shoulder and he started to turn about to face her, but before he looked Videl in the eye someone finally answered the phone.

"Hello, I'd like to report a missing person." Gohan said without even allowing the officer to utter a greeting.

Videl lowered her head a little, realising this meant Gohan had not yet heard from Pan.

"Yes thank you." Gohan said after he was finally offered to be put through the missing persons department.

Videl stood silently listening to the one side of the conversation she could. When Gohan eventually hung up he looked at Videl with an unusual look of despair in his eyes. Videl opened her arms to him and he gratefully accepted the comfort. As Videl rested her chin on Gohans shoulder she noted that there was a message waiting on the answering machine. As quickly as she could without seeming rude she broke the embrace and wandered over to the machine, pressing the button.

"Hi Dad. It's Pan here..."

Gohan stared at the machine in silence. Videl looked at Gohan, trying to assess his reaction. Neither were happy that Pan had only left a message, but they had to admit it was comforting. While it was possible Pan had gone on a holiday to get away and had not felt like talking directly to either of her parents it was very unlikely and unusual. Videl watched the confusion on Gohan's face, knowing exactly what he was thinking because she was thinking the exact same thing, what if Pan had been made to make that call?

Neither were quite sure what to say so neither said anything.

Trunks was at work early for one of the first times in his life. He had gone there straight after seeing Pan. He had considered going home, but knew that if he did he would just end up wallowing in self-pity again making himself look even more suspicious. He was fully aware that Gohan wasn't going to accept Pan's message as the end of it. That meant he was going to have to lie again. His father had encouraged him to learn to lie and bluff with a straight face but an enraged Gohan tended to force all his eloquence and skills out the window. He sighed and realised that he'd been staring at the computer so long the screen saver had come on. Although he was at work early, today would not be productive. Reluctantly he leaned forward shaking the mouse backward and forward before continuing with his work.

Pan was already beginning to regret her decision not to stay with Trunks for a little longer. Her mind swiftly crushed the aching in her heart, but the waver in her concentration caused her to falter slightly in her morning regime. Glad there was nobody around to see her she managed to regain her balance. After several more failed attempts Pan resigned to the continually growing yearning and settled down for a break. Leaning back, she laced her fingers together and rested her head on her hands.

Staring out into the emptiness the isolation began to set in once more. She had promised herself that she wouldn't grow bitter if she could help it and that meant never really stopping to reflect on her solitude. However, Trunks's company hadn't lasted long though and she could already sense the image that was once so clearly set in her mind fading. "No, not fading." she whispered to herself, "Just clouded." The words seemed to relieve her guilt. She wasn't forgetting Trunks, there were just other things that had happened in her life. Memories, thoughts and conceptions had infringed upon a space inside of Pan that had once only been occupied by Trunks. It had been a single devotion, Pan had been lost in the love. Now she had begun to understand why the face brought so much comfort, but it was almost as if this understanding had taken the magic away from the feeling.

Pan thought hard, trying to remember a blissful moment with Trunks when they were oblivious to the world. The moments were rare due to their harsh judgement, but she could faintly recall a time when they had just sat together in silence staring into one another's eyes seeing complete beauty. Sure she saw physical beauty, but that seemed to originate from an innate beauty of the soul that had finally found expression. For the first time in the relationship Pan began to wonder if Trunks saw the same things she did. After all, true love didn't lie in staring in one another's eyes and seeing beauty. In involved staring in the same direction and seeing a future. The thoughts brought tears to Pan's eyes - she could be doing this for a person who didn't love her as she did him. Trunks wasn't exactly famous for his devotion to girlfriends. Pan could have wasted some of the best years of her entire life for a man who didn't love her. The thoughts were too much to bear and Pan shook her head trying to throw the ideas from her consciousness. They were too painful and exactly what she had been avoiding. "No," she whispered, then more forcefully,

"Trunks loves me." Then, almost afraid that someone would hear her in the nameless void, "Don't you?"

That wasn't really the question she wanted to ask though. What she wanted to know, but was too afraid to ask was, "Do I really love him?" Acknowledging such words would be far too painful though, Pan didn't want to hear them and she didn't want to know the answer. She knew all about lust and she knew that the most prominent thing about it was that it always seemed like love at the time until your heart had been burnt to ashes by cruel fiery words and actions of others. As much as she didn't want to believe it, she could be the one at fault, not really mature enough to understand love. Wasn't that what she was here for, to mature? If she had just wanted an older body she could have wished for it with the Dragonballs. That's not the aim though, she wanted to grow up. Maturity could not be feinted and here she was gaining it. The part that scared her the most was that with that maturity she seemed to be gaining an undeniable wisdom which shone a lot of light on her relationship with Trunks. Light which made her grateful for the dark they had hidden their feelings in before.

"Gohan, hi. It's Trunks here."

"Yes." Gohan said rather suspiciously, listening carefully for any edge or waver in Trunks's voice.

Trunks was thrown off by the curt reply. "Umm, I was just wondering if Pan had contacted you yet?" The phone call was more to convince Gohan of his ignorance than anything. Pan and Trunks had always been close friends and it would be unnatural for him not to worry. He had decided to ring Gohan rather than visit because the distance gave him a small sense of security.

"Well, she left a message on the answering machine."

"Uh huh. What did it say?" Just then a young man knocked on Trunks's open door and came into the office with several folders in his arms. Trunks silently cursed himself for not having shut the door. He felt like blasting the guy into the next dimension, but instead raised his eyebrows to acknowledge the young man who mouthed something incomprehensible. Trunks tried to hide his puzzled look, obviously failing because the guy proceeded to repeat this procedure. Trunks eventually raised a finger requesting the man wait and returned his attention to the conversation with Gohan. He had been briefly following Gohan's train of thought, but hadn't really said much.

Meanwhile Gohan was going on about how Pan had said she was on holiday, but that wasn't like her and he was still trying to get the police to investigate but they had refused on the grounds that she had contacted home and sounded fine. It wasn't too long before Gohan noticed Trunks's silence though and asked, "Trunks, you getting this."  
  
"Yeah, thanks Gohan. Listen I'm going to have to talk to you about this later." The young man smiled in triumph.

"Alright. But if you hear from her you call me right away, OK?" Gohan reproached cautiously, growing more suspicious by the

minute. Trunks and Pan were really close and if Trunks thought it was slightly possible that Pan was in trouble then he would have stopped at nothing until he found her. Logic told him this could indicate Trunks was just certain Pan was on holiday, but his gut told him something deeper was at play.

"Sure thing Gohan. You know I would anyway." Trunks replied as quickly as possible.

"Bye Trunks."

"Yeah, bye." As Trunks had been speaking he had been lowering the phone to its cradle. When the reciever finally clicked back into place he looked at the young man who had been desperately trying to get his attention. "What is it?" he asked, fearing the worst.

"Mr Briefs, your mo-, er, Mrs Briefs is requesting you go and see her."

"What for?" Trunks was starting to get worried. What could his mother want him for that was so urgent?

The man shrugged slightly. "Something about taking a day off."

Trunks groaned. Some people had a way of making tiny things seem like life or death decisions.

Night came, although it wasn't really night. The blank reality never faded into darkness. Pan knew it was night though, everything in her told her it was night-time. Her aching muscles felt as if they had been bathed in fatigue, her mind was on the point of collapse from the intense concentration and something deep within her she felt that Trunks was resigning for the night. However, when she settled down for sleep she could not force her eyes shut. When she finally lay her head down she would sit up only minutes later. Usually she had been able to find sleep without hesitation and occasionally it had even struck in her short breaks, claiming her consciousness against her will. Tonight something else dominated her head, something far stronger than fatigue – fear. The demons of the day suddenly gained their full strength and Pan was unable to push the thoughts away. They swarmed her mind, breaking down every assurance she had ever held. The silent tears quickly changed to mournful cries and racking sobs. Remorse washed over her and penetrated every pore and rinsing all thoughts of Trunks away.

Morning came, although it wasn't really morning. A morning was a new beginning where there was always hope. Pan's cheeks were still stained red and her eyes were also leaning towards that tint. The small amount of sleep she had caught last night had been haunted by mocking figures dancing in the hallways of her mind. The ever denied inevitable was happening, Pan was maturing.

"No!" Pan screamed into the eternal white. "I love Trunks and he loves me." Strangely enough the words acted as a balm on her burning fears. The drug-like effects of a fresh morning were bringing everything back into perspective. "We are destined to be together." Pan carefully avoided the word fate because it seemed that fate was one of the cruel devices messing with her head. If she was with Trunks right now she would never have thought such things last night – she would have remembered her purpose and her promise. A promise to herself and to Trunks. She would wait for him and he would wait for her. After that they would be together and the world would be good. A smirk resembling Vegeta's pronounced itself on her lips and she started to get back into her training. However something caused her to stop. Staring back at the bed where she had been haunted by the demonic thoughts. "Not pulling that one on me again. Trunks loves me." she told the pillow, striking it with all her hatred for the night.

That was weird to write. I don't really know where all this came from to be honest. I guess its just something that's been bugging me for a while, I don't think you could spend all those years alone without ever developing doubts and fears. It all worked out though, didn't it? Will it reoccur? Well stay tuned for scenes from...no wait, that's not right. Just read the next chapter when it comes out.

Anyway, just to reiterate the catch-cry of FF.net – Please Review


	4. Reflect, Repent, Relent

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I WILL WAIT FOR YOU

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Disclaimer: I do not own Dragonball Z or any of the characters. They belong to Akira Toriyama. I do not make any money off writing or posting this.

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Authors Notes: Thank you to Mirai Pan for explaining to me how the ROSAT works. I've never actually seen any episodes where the room is used so I was only going on what I'd heard. Anyway, obviously the fact that opening the room more than twice makes the entire universe collapse messes up my plan a bit. I'm inclined to ask you to pretend that's just not true. I know it seems a little ridiculous, but there's not really any other way to remedy it without changing the entire plot. I could have Pan disappear for a year in between her time in the ROSAT, but that would draaaaaag the story out far too long.

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Trunks sat on the ground resting his head on his hands. He had woken up early this morning unable to sleep. Finally his dreams were being realised. Pan had already endured seven days in the Room of Spirit and Time. He watched the door expectantly, ready to pounce on Pan the moment she emerged. Last time he'd seen her she had seemed somewhat distant, but he had assumed she was just adjusting to her new lifestyle. He constantly tried to keep in mind that for her time would be dragging on.

"Trunks?" Pan called out. She knew it was him, but her mind refused to believe it. It had been so long and her mind had played this scene over and over, only Trunks wasn't there and she had wasted so many years of her life. The heat tended to play with her mind, then the cold. The unstable conditions simply added to her anxiety. Despite Trunks's comforting word Pan still wondered how long Trunks would hold up for.

Trunks abruptly spun around realising that he'd become side tracked. "Pan!" He ran up and wrapped his arms around her nestling his head on her shoulder. To his surprise she hugged him back equally as enthusiastically and rested her head on his chest.

Moments later they still stood there in that same position. Trunks sensed that Pan didn't want to break the embrace any time soon and he was only too happy to comply. Pan raised her head and looked up into Trunks's eyes and his suspicions were confirmed, there were tears in her eyes. Fortunately they were glistening with pure joy. "How are you, Pan?" Trunks asked, wanting to hear her voice again.

"Wonderful," she croaked without a hint of sarcasm. Seeing Trunks made her realise how much in love they really were. All those nights spent in remorse seemed so pointless now.

Trunks noticed that Pans hair had grown a lot longer since last time – she obviously hadn't been cutting it as frequently. He grabbed a handful and indicated towards it, "What's with the hair?"

"I've been training, cutting my hair isn't the highest of priorities."

"I didn't know you were taking the training so seriously."

"Trunks, I'm throwing away years of my life. I think that I should get something out of that time other than age."

Suddenly Trunks felt very awkward and the two loosened their grasp on one another, neither sure of what to do or say next.

Pan cursed herself for her words, she hadn't meant to make Trunks feel guilty. After all, she was the one who had decided to take this on. In the silence she reminded herself to control her tongue with an iron fist from now on. She didn't have long with Trunks and she didn't want to waste that time feeling terrible.

Trunks noticed Pan's silence and realised how much Pan must have been through in the last year. She looked so different to him now. It wasn't just the hair, her face had been touched by the subtle lines of remorse and worry. That just made him happier though, he knew that Pan was maturing and soon she would be old enough for them to be together without being scorned by society. "Pan."

"Yeah."

"Do you want to stick around for a while? Just a couple of hours. I miss you."

"Yeah, me too, but I can't. I don't want to waste time out here. Once I've almost caught up to you then we can have all the time in the world together."

"Its only a few hours, Pan. It'd be good for you."

"For who?"

"Okay, for us."

"But Trunks..."

"Come on, I know you want to."

"Well, maybe just for an hour, but we'd better go somewhere secluded. I don't want anyone showing up and asking awkward questions."

"I wasn't planning on it. I've got a spot picked out and it'll be just you and me. Just remember to keep your ki way down. I really don't want to have to explain you to Gohan."

"He's not that scary you know."

"To you." Trunks replied smearing mock fear across his face.

Pan giggled Trunks's expression. It felt so good to hear his voice again and experience that unusual feeling that always occurred when Trunks was around. Once she'd managed to straighten her face Pan took Trunks by the arm and started to walk off. "Where are we going then?"

Trunks smirked and scooped Pan up into his arms and turned around. He nodded south and said, "Over there."

"Trunks, where is there."

"You'll see." With that Trunks gently lifted into the sky intending to carry Pan to their destination.

Pan however had other ideas and she launched herself from his arms and called out over her shoulder, "Race you."

Trunks couldn't help but smile as he chased after Pan, surprised by her incredible speed. She has been training hard, he thought to himself. She's become very strong. "Wait a minute," Trunks whispered stopping in the middle of the sky. "Pan," he called out, "Your power is up way too high."

Pan looked back, suddenly realising what she'd done. The moment had caught her up and she'd not been thinking straight. Concentrating she pushed her power down and let herself fall to the ground. Trunks did the same, landing several feet away from her.

*

Gohan was standing before the class trying to explain the finer points of why students must never flush lithium down the toilet. It had been a long day and having half the school flooded didn't make it any easier. Then in the pit of his stomach he could suddenly feel his daughter. Her ki was so high and so close. He seemed to pause for a second before yelling out, "Read pages 213 to 247." Then he ran out the door, oblivious to one student calling out, "Son san, it only goes up to page 178."

Gohan was unable to ignore the fact that Pan's ki was very close to Trunks's and that she was at a level that had to be pushing her limits. To Gohan that was enough proof to blast Trunks into the next dimension. Ever since Pan had disappeared Trunks had been acting strangely. Gohan wasn't entirely sure what Trunks was up to, but he certainly intended to find out.

*

Trunks quickly flew to Pan. "Get back to the Room, now."

"But Trunks, he'll kill you."

"He's not that scary you know." Trunks replied, repeating Pan's exact words from just before.

Pan knew that there was nothing she could do. Her presence would only make the situation more volatile. She gave Trunks a hurried peck on the cheek, then hesitated before taking his head in her hands and locking her lips on his in a passionate kiss. At least it would have been passionate if Trunks had not been stunned into a stupor. Pan laughed at his blank expression and whispered in his ear, "Wait for me."

Trunks continued to try and understand what had just happened.

*

Pan looked out over the world and wondered how well Trunks was doing. All she could do was hope her father wouldn't kill him. She knew he was better than that though, he was a really nice person once you got past his over-protectiveness. Trunks probably never would. She thought of Trunks's fearful reaction when Gohan was mentioned and then the kiss. It wasn't exactly his best work, but considering the circumstances it was perfect. All Pan needed was the small reminder, it had been so long and it would be so long. With the new memories freshly painted in her mind she stepped back into the Room smiling.

*

"TRUNKS!" Gohan roared approaching the area he last felt his and Pan's ki.

Trunks flew up to meet Gohan. "Gohan, whats u-" Gohans steady fist interrupted Trunks's greeting and sent him flying back.

"WHERE IS SHE!" Gohan yelled about a heartbeat away from Super Saiyan.

"Gohan, calm down. Tell me what's wrong." Trunks wasn't really sure how he should be playing this. He might have been able to come up with a decent story if his last few brain cells hadn't been killed by Pan's hasty goodbye. He knew that he couldn't deny that Pan had been there. Her ki was so strong Gohan would have felt it a hundred miles away.

"Where is Pan?" Gohan asked, suddenly relaxing. His voice was so calm it sent shivers down Trunks's spine. Although Gohan didn't appear to be taking aggressive action his eyes silently warned of destruction.

"Gohan, listen. Pan was here. She came to tell me that she'd be gone for a while and just wanted me to tell you that she was alright." Trunks managed not to stumble over his words, but he wondered how convincing he sounded. It was the first thing that had come into his head, other than Pan of course. She'd obviously made it to the room, but would he make it to meet her.

Gohan stared at Trunks with an intensity rivalling Vegeta's stare. Trunks suddenly felt so transparent, as if Gohan could see straight into the depths of his being. He cringed waiting for the final blow, the fault in his logic that he'd only just realised.

"Trunks, why was Pan's ki so high, and why did it disap-" Gohan was now the one thrust into silence. Trunks and Gohan broke their deathly gazes to turn towards the sky. In an instant the tense feeling dropped and became one of confusion and fear. A strange sense of being had shifted into their consciousness and it was strong. Gohan regained his composure a second before Trunks and shot him daggers, reminding him that this would be taken up the instant they knew they were safe. Then he took off in the direction of the foreign ki. Trunks stood for a second, not sure which he was more stunned by. In the space of ten minutes Pan had shocked him with her kiss, Gohan had scared him out of his mind, Trunks had completely lost any sense of grace or lying skills, a power strong enough to destroy the planet a hundred times over had suddenly appeared and then Gohan had scared him out of his mind again. Seconds later Trunks flew after Gohan, deciding to try and give Pan a planet to come back to.

***

As usual, please review. I'm interested to know how I'm doing with this whole romance thing.


	5. Closed Heart Closed Mind

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Disclaimer: They aren't mine and you know it.

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Authors Notes: I've been really busy, so I haven't even tried to get this done. I'm sorry to you all. Now I'm almost past that stage though and ready to pick this up again. I never realised how much I missed it until I sat down to continue it. I hope I haven't lost all my readers in my little spell, or severely interrupted the train of thought. Posts should be semi-regular from now on though (I hope!) Anyway, I've taken a few hours off to tease you all a little further so take a few minutes to write a quick review because I really appreciate it. ;-)

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Chapter 5: Closed Heart; Closed Mind

Pan crept out. The silence that she was leaving behind suddenly seemed so inviting. After so many years spent in confinement she had decided that the time was right. She was ready for Trunks…

If only he was ready for her.

Pan had imagined so many possible reactions to the news and her return, but never had the sight that faced her even been toyed with.

Trunks was not there.

And in that singular moment Pan didn't feel anything. There was a brief moment of shock that numbed her to the inevitable pain that would follow. Then it seemed the world drew in on her. Pan looked around, hoping that she had simply missed him in her excitement, but it was a false hope and she knew it. The air seemed to be so empty, she couldn't even sense Trunks' ki. To her, that only meant one thing: he was hiding. With a small sob that could have been mistaken for a growl Pan re-entered the Room.

The pure white was so enticing to Pan. It washed through her head, sending her a little crazy as it had over the past years. This time Pan submitted to the insanity though and expected the rage to begin burning strongly. However, her heart was flooded with an aching despair and even in her betrayal she couldn't bring herself to hate Trunks. This was the ultimate crime that she was simply unable to forgive herself for. Not only had Trunks failed to meet her, he had purposefully hidden from her.

All those years...

Without warning the air around Pan began to swell with heat and force itself into her lungs. Frustrated by the untimely change Pan jumped into the air, desperately trying to escape the oppressive air burning her entire body.

Amid the raging emotions and fiery climate a wave of pleasure pulsed through her. Through the pain she could suddenly feel power...power so intense it seemed to blind her for a second before her senses took a quantum leap. The white suddenly became clearer, the silence was intruded upon by her own breathing and heartbeat, mingling with the sound of her sweat falling gently to the ground. She became suddenly aware of every smell her body was emitting, but strangely found that the room itself still had no scent. The power was the most foreign thing to her. She could feel it in her veins sweeping through her hair, pulling and twisting it upwards. She knew without indication that the deep black Trunks had commented on so often had blasted into a brilliant gold. Burning most strongly in her was not the lust for power, nor the awe at her senses or even shock at her achievement; she felt a simple deception.

When Pan was growing up she had trained so hard to attain that level beyond – to finally prove to the world that girls can be Super Saiyans too. It seemed ironic that she would finally achieve this when nobody was around to witness it. After the intense gravity and competition it was a mere broken heart that had given her the final key to success. Of course, the anger alone wasn't enough to send her Super Saiyan, but after all those years of training in the unwavering conditions of the Room of Spirit and Time her body was physically ready for the transformation and only awaiting the final component to reveal itself.

None of this mattered to Pan though. In her head there was only one coherent thought, or question rather, "Why didn't you wait for me?" It only had time to pass through her head once though before her body began to give under the stress and her lack of resolution caused her to slip from the conscious realm and fall heavily to the empty white beneath her.

*

Days ran into weeks and weeks ran into months. In a room that defied time entirely, Pan barely even noticed it streaming through her fingers. In fact, Pan barely noticed anything. In her head the mantra repeated itself over and over again, 'Love is a lie'. Pan's training became more and more intense. She would fail to sleep for days and days at a time, maintaining the ultimate peak of her power. The power quickly became an addiction; a rush that could not be forsaken. In it she saw her only escape from the pain.

And so like this the time continued for 8 months and 11 days, until one day Pan stopped.

To anyone looking back on the situation it was rather ridiculous. In the time Pan had been there she had barely stopped to think and then out of the blue there was some distant calling, urging her to relent for a moment. Maybe it was a piece of her father coming out, maybe it was the beginnings of forgiveness or maybe it was fate. The chances are it was none of these things. Nevertheless Pan took a few moments out to reflect upon the changes in her life. It all seemed so long ago. She had been a meager child in love, marveling at the prince that was to become hers. It amazed her that Trunks had even shown an interest in her all those years ago. It was impossible to comprehend that only several days had passed for Trunks. Hindsight, being the perfect angle that it was, showed her how stupid she was to commit so much of her life to one person who had only given up several days to her. No matter how strong her infatuation with Trunks she had to remember that to Trunks she was just another notch in his belt.

Only when she took the argument out of context like this was Pan able to feel true anger with Trunks. Even after the rejection she couldn't help but love him though. It was a hopeless situation.

In her reflection her thoughts wandered towards her parents. The shame was so overwhelming that she instinctively buried her head in her hands, trying to hide from the ruins that were her life. What would they think of her? She had thrown away a good deal of her life for a man that had forgotten her. How could she justify that, especially to her father? He had such big dreams for her.

The anger flickered through her once more and Pan felt the familiar changes take control of her body. She did not move though and breathed deeply, regaining control of her flaring emotions.

In amongst the confusion there was always one thing in her head that she could not dispel – she loved Trunks. She was reminded of the times she had pined after him as a child, knowing that he would deny her. At least then there was hope though (as she didn't know for sure), but now there was nothing, just the endless and empty white to comfort her lonely nights.

Pan crossed her legs, hoping to find some solace in meditation. She found it surprisingly easy to slip into the right state and found the time spent away from thoughts a long overdue break.

When Pan rejoined the conscious world she was unable to tell how long she had spent meditating. What she did know was what she had to do now. It had been time well spent and the storm in her mind had been harnessed allowing clear thought.

Pan had to face the world again.

*

It was three days before Pan was psychologically prepared to see all her friends and family again. She felt so certain of the shame that was to befall her. Already she could hear the firm reprimands of her father. At the same time she knew that he was a kind man at heart and was only trying to look out for her. By now, Pan was keenly aware of the mistake she had made and could only try to make up for it...somehow.

There was an idea that was tickling the back of her mind though – Dragonballs. That was one thing that always enabled her to smile, they were the one thing that could sell her hope.

In her fear Pan had not considered what they would think of her new hairstyle.

With her few possessions in hand Pan tracked over to the door and, taking a final glance around the prison that had held her for so long, unceremoniously left.

As she stepped back onto the tower Pan realised that the tile beneath her foot was wobbly. She looked down. It wasn't like Dende to let anything like that happen. She looked up to see if he was around so that she could inform him of her discovery.

Death.

Thats all that Pan could think. She was surrounded by death. The tower had been completely destroyed. There was barely a ki on the planet. While the Room of Spirit and Time had seemed empty that did not worry her much because it was _supposed _to be that way. The world was not meant to be so void. There was simply nothing to it; the air was lifeless.

Tip-toeing across the shattered tile floor Pan wandered aimlessly. Blood was strewn wildly across the floor. There were signs of an epic battle and signs of gory deaths. She couldn't bring herself to look over the edge, but the horrors at the top of the tower were enough to leave deep scars in her mind forever. Everywhere she looked she could feel the horrible images being burnt into her mind. Then she saw the one thing that would never leave her mind. Dende lay in a puddle of Namekian blood, his body barely hanging together. One arm hung on by several strands of shredded muscle, his gut shredded open and his innards spread roughly. It took her only seconds to notice a second body lying only metres away, obviously someone who had died trying to protect Dende. She took only one step before her eyes focussed and she identified the body as her father.

The world around Pan began to sway, threatening to close in. She was torn between losing her breakfast and gulping in copious amounts of air. Trying to hold her lunch down she gasped, wondering where all the air had gone. She became faintly aware of spinning, then she could hear the sounds of fear and food being regurgitated. As her body clattered to the ground she felt a distant pain and a distant fear then it went black.

Her body lay motionless next to a crude post that had been pushed into the once perfect tiles so long ago. At the top flew a dark flag with a symbol only Vegeta could have recognised from his distant travels. It was possible he had since forgotten it though, he had conquered so many planets, but perhaps none so bountiful.

Pan groaned and wondered where the time had gone. Though only seconds had passed since she had collapsed it seemed like hours had passed. Her eyes struggled to focus and as they did she found herself lying in her fathers blood looking up at the flag of the Firconese.

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Please take the time to review. I really appreciate your comments and your time. Its always great to know how I'm doing with this.


	6. Shattered

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Ch 6: Shattered

Pan wandered through the meaningless rubble. She had to constantly remind herself that this used to be somebody's life. This had been someone's school, someone's street and someone's entire existence. The world simply seemed so alien now; it was far too foreign to even register as being real. She couldn't even comprehend how such devastation could have taken place in such a short span of time.

Pan's thoughts seemed to incessantly diverge to Trunks and once more she detested herself for the infatuation. Amid the obliteration of her home all she could think about was the man that had deserted her. In her first few hours on Earth, Pan matured more than she could have ever dreamed of from her life in the Room of Spirit and Time. She trained her eyes to become immune to the death that surrounded her. She wasn't even sure what she was looking for or where she was going. There wasn't really anything else to do though, so Pan walked and flew depending on her fatigue and mood.

After wandering for over five hours Pan noticed that the sun was casting its preliminary rays across the sky. This dull light gave her horizon a surreal aura. She silently wondered if daylight would bring out any survivors.

Pan had easily convinced herself that Trunks was still alive and had concocted numerous explanations as to why she could not sense his ki. There was something pricking at the back of her mind telling her that it was hopeless though. Trunks would have been fighting to the death, just as her father had. The reminder caused Pan to wince and twist her head: a knee-kick reflex. She should have been there...she should have fought alongside them. Her strength was definitely a force to be contended with now, but her pride had forced her into a retreat. She had been so childish. She had hoped to mature during her training, but now she realised that her mentality was no different.

"No wonder Trunks rejected me," she mused, "because I'm still little Panny."

The daylight did seem to rouse some life on the world though and it certainly did Pan's aching heart good to see it. As she struggled through the ruins several tired and dazed people mirrored her aimless meandering. Picking a young lady at random Pan tried to find out _something_ about what had happened here. "Excuse me, can you tell me what happened?" The woman looked at Pan, obviously wondering how anyone could be oblivious to the dire situation. After a moment of uncomfortable scrutiny the woman simply burst out laughing and continued on through the rubble, her cackles echoing into the void sending shivers down Pan's spine.

The next person Pan came across was a very old man and Pan caught herself wondering how anyone of such age could have survived such devastation. Instead she repeated the troubling question. He looked at her and Pan saw the confusion swirling in his dark eyes. "Who knows?" he breathed. Then with a startling change the contemplative expression dropped from his face and he shrugged without commitment. "Apocalypse maybe."

Pan muttered thanks before resting on a large chunk of concrete nearby. She breathed heavily. The day had taken so much out of her. Unlike her training it was mental exhaustion alone that forced fatigue into her. She saw only one other person pass by that day – another young lady who was desperately searching through the remains for 'Makoto'. Pan did not have the courage to approach her. By then it was clear to her that those who were not killed by their injuries would soon be conquered by their own minds. Whatever had happened was an all consuming disaster...one that she should have prevented.

Later that night the regrets and confusion still ravaged Pan's thoughts. Images of her father kept creeping back to haunt her minds eye and her body was now covered in minor cuts, scrapes and bruises. She had been careless and found herself tripping due to lack of concentration. She would forgive herself for that today. There were too many other things to spend her guilt on.

Pan scoped out a small cave created from scrap metal and broken buildings. She cautiously eyed it, wondering how stable it was. Pan's engineering skills were virtually non-existent though and she found herself too nervous to take the chance. A silent eye passed to the sky and the dark clouds that loomed ominously there, but her thoughts returned to being crushed by several layers of concrete and metal in her sleep and she stretched out on a nearby dirt patch.

Sleep hung just out of reach. Whenever her heavy eyelids would begin to droop, another horrific mental photo would flash into vision and she would find herself awake again. It was only many hours later that the pain and exhaustion won and Pan drifted into a troubled sleep. Just before unconsciousness hit her she could have sworn her father was calling out to her.

The gentle rain fell delicately onto Pan's face causing her to twitch in her sleep. However, it would take more than that to rouse her from her long deserved rest. As if acting on this resolution the sky opened fire and rain began to pummel down onto the broken world.

The second that Pan awoke she had no memory of the events that had taken place over the last day and in that second there was feeling of peace. Unfortunately he rain acted as a perfect reality check and clips of the day washed through her once more. Pan peered into the impenetrable darkness, searching for shelter. Her eyes inevitably came to rest on the concrete cave. Resigned to her fate Pan crawled into the small hovel and huddled up, struggling to save any degree of remaining heat.

The rain showed no mercy and by daytime there was no sign of it even slowing down. In a way, Pan almost enjoyed the external manifestation of her mindset. Pan had nothing to do though and the day quickly faded into night. Minutes seemed to take hours, but hours seemed to slip from her so quickly. It seemed her entire mind was revolting against her while still torturing her with endless thoughts of the others...and Trunks.

That night Pan curled up in a small cave out of the city. She had decided that it would be too hard to stay amid the ruins of her old life. As she warmed her hands on the small fire she had built she wondered exactly what she would do now. She had to accept the fact that everyone she knew was dead, even if she couldn't believe it. What would become of her? How long could her sanity survive in such isolation? It was treacherous ground to tread and she found herself despairing at the thoughts so decided to settle down for the night. She nestled into the soft dirt and pulled her dirty jacket closer to her throat while watching the fire crackle and flicker through the darkness. "Oh Dad..." she whispered, almost in tears. Her father had always been there for her when she ended up in difficult situations, but it seemed that he, just like Trunks had abandoned her.

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Pan.

Pan bolted upright and glared into the darkness. She could feel her remaining traces of sanity slipping through her fingers. "Dad?" she called out softly, berating herself for her foolishness all the while.

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Yes, its me honey. I was lucky enough to come across King Kai and he let me talk to you. I've been trying to reach you for an age. Are you OK?

Pan stared into the fire that traced light across her disbelieving face. She sat silently for only a moment before a small smile crept across her lips. "I'm fine, but what's going on? What's happened here?" A long silence ensued and Pan grew nervous. "Dad?"

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You don't know?

"No, of course not. How cou-" Pan stopped abruptly. Her father still didn't know that she had been in the Room of Spirit and Time. Pan quickly searched for an explanation and continued. "How could I Dad? I told you that I went for a holiday."

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You left Earth?

Pan was beginning to feel guilty. Her father was contacting her from beyond death and she was feeding him baseless lies. There was only one alternative though and the truth definitely didn't seem so appealing. "Yeah."

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I'm surprised you didn't sense it...you must have gone a fair way. I really don't know what it was. Something powerful. Something very powerful. The leader of it all came down to earth to speak with us demanding revenge on the one who had wronged them. Apparently Vegeta conquered their planet many years ago and they had been seeking his blood ever since. They wouldn't even fight us though. The ships just blew the planet to pieces. There was nothing any of us could do. I'm sorry honey, we did everything we could, but there was no convincing these people. They were fanatics.

"No, don't do that. I should have been there; I should be the one apologising to you, but lets not do that. Just, tell me one thing. Are the others there?"

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Pan...listen...you're mother is here, but we don't know about Trunks. I was hoping you could tell me. You are the only one with any traceable amount of ki. There's been such a huge influx of people over here after the annihilation that it's absolutely impossible to find anyone though. I assumed that eventually all of the gang would head over to King Kai's place so I came here. Everyone except for Trunks is here now. Although his ki was not traceable I had assumed that he was still on Earth – either hiding or badly injured.

Pan realised that she had been holding her breath and let it out in a noisy gush. "I don't know. I haven't seen him." Pan messily wiped the tears from her eyes. "I miss you Dad. I don't know what to do. I...I...don't know." It felt good to have a truth uttered from her lips. Pan sat in the darkness for a few moments more, quietly sobbing as Gohan whispered comforting thoughts to her.

As if struck by lightening Pan bolted upright. "Dad, I'm going to get the Dragonballs. I'll wish you and everyone else back. I will. I'll go find them for you."

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Pan, Dende is dead.

Pan shuddered at the inevitable image that wavered in her mind. "Earth isn't the only planet with Dragonballs."

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You can't go planet skipping now.

"Why? What's keeping me here?"

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Pan, just find Trunks first.

"I'm not a little kid any more." Pan quickly shut her mouth, knowing that she had to watch her mouth around such matters.

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I never said that. Just find him...he could still be alive and need your help.

"Trunks is dead." To me, she silently finished.

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You know for sure? Have you seen his body?

Pan barely paused. "Yes."

*

Everyone stared at Gohan. His face was stained with a most unusual expression.

"What is it?" Videl asked.

"I don't know. Pan told me that she hadn't seen Trunks, then told me that she knew he was dead." Gohan's brow creased in concentration, clearly confused.

"But she's going to get the blasted Dragonballs right?" Vegeta demanded impatiently.

All eyes locked on Vegeta out of duty, knowing they would never change him from his selfish ways.

Gohan sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I don't think she knows yet. There is more going on here than we are giving the situation credit for." He took in a deep breath. "And as always with her, Trunks is right in the middle of it."

***

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You know the drill. You've come this far. For Yin there is Yang. For Black there is White. For Read there is Review, so get typing. Thanks, I always appreciate your thoughts.


	7. Beneath Summer's Ashes

I WILL WAIT FOR YOU

If you are not too long, I will wait here for you all my life. – Oscar Wilde

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**Disclaimer: No, not my characters.  Yes, stupid enough to do work for no money.**

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**_Chapter 7: Beneath Summer's Ashes_**

Pan woke up the next morning feeling strangely released, yet there was a distinct guilty twinge to her pleasure.  She did not _know that Trunks was dead, despite the feeling that wrenched at her gut.  After all the deception in her life she had never actually told a lie of such magnitude.  Even feigning her own mental respite from the world did not seem so treacherous as speaking of an uncertain death as if it were a certainty.  Of course the past was firmly embedded there and no amount of desire could restore it to the present so Pan continued to live...in a loose sense of the word._

It didn't take her long to decide that a quick visit to Capsule Corps was necessary.  Dragonball radar and transportation would be essential and it could hardly be called looting.  With renewed energy Pan drifted in the general direction of the building, trying not to see all the destruction that surrounded her.  In amongst the corrupted bodies there were acts of extreme kindness reminiscent of a long forgotten humanity.  It was almost beautiful to see others come together.  Almost.  It was both beautiful and repulsive at once.  There was an echo of death and despair across the countryside, yet there was also new heroes born that day.  Death and love had met in a swift embrace and become one and the same.  Pan looked to the sky.  There was less confusion there.

Capsule Corporation had clearly been a last post for many.  As Pan neared it she became unwillingly aware of the increasing concentrations of bodies.  The building itself had never looked so dark.  It appeared to have grown taller and broader, the windows shrunken back into the cold walls.  The very scent of the place seemed to have changed.  Not only did the lingering decay produce a blistering stench, but the walls smelled of unwashed bodies and sickness.  Pan softened her step as she grew closer.  She noticed a middle aged man hunched over a tiny fire, with the flaring light illuminating his face with a terrible glow.  He looked like a goblin, crooked, small and dark.

With almost religious respect Pan gave the front door a gentle push and was not surprised when it easily swung open.

Without the usual noise and haste of the Briefs residence it seemed empty and she suddenly realised exactly how large the building was.  She had walked over these floors so many times and simply forgotten to see them.  Now this skeleton was all that was left of her friends and the man that she loved.

She shuddered, unsure of what caused it.  Perhaps the cold, but more likely the thought of walking across Trunks' home knowing he would never return.

As she stepped across the threshold the hem of her pants caught on a piece of steel.  Instinctively Pan bent over to brush a hand over her pants.  And as she swept her eyes up from her fussing the sudden nearness of such destruction made her queasy.  The once homely building now appeared the domain of a sadistic madman, trapped in the grip of a nightmare.  Pan quickly scanned the area, searching for any immediate danger.  How ironic it would be to survive a holocaust only to suffer a careless fall.  Each tentative step met the crunch of gravel beneath her, causing her to flinch at its apparent loudness.  The rubble that blocked her path was damp and now appeared jaundiced, like a healing bruise.  The sour taste of soil hung heavily in the air and for a moment Pan would have believed that the smell itself had aiding in casting the long shadows.  Pan swallowed in distaste, feeling her steady heart-rate flutter in her chest.  To fear, nobody was sacred.

Pan's impetus led her at an inevitably slow pace across the entrance.  This frustrated her and without thought she took to the air between the bowed roof and the remains at her feet, gliding with ease towards the hallways.  Once more, the silence rung in Pan's ears and she felt that she would surely go insane if she spent too long in this place.  It was like walking through a tomb, bodies waiting where least expected.  If it had not been for auto-pilot Pan might have walked the same route ten times over and not known it.  Her feet were dragged along by memory though and she eventually found herself deep in the bowels of Capsule Corporation.

Bulma's lab was in distinct contrast with the rest of the building...and the rest of the world it seemed.  Pan eased her breath, as if she had entered a haven and swung shut the remainder of the door behind her.  It didn't help her state of mind to see the juxtaposition of the seemingly different worlds.  It had amazed her that she still felt guilty about breaking the door, although she knew that her actions would undoubtably have the blessing of the Briefs.

_Grave Robber.___

A quick drop to the ground shuddered Pan's conscience into a brief respite and she began to get to work locating all that she needed.

The Dragon Radar was easy.  In that same drawer it had been for probably all of her life.  Finding a ship was a little harder.  Bulma usually worked on strictly experimental things, meaning that everything was carefully hidden from any unwanted attention.  Pan worked quickly, not wanting to remain there any longer than was required.

With a sigh of relief the capsule was found and Pan headed towards the door.  She looked at her watch, but it was a pointless action, an attempt to feel normal perhaps.  She hadn't noted the time for many hours, or what had seemed like hours.  Time hadn't meant much to her lately anyway.  The years drawing out like an ancient katana from its sheath.  The brief pause alerted her to the absolute still of the room.  In meteoric insanity Pan blasted a hole through the wall of the Lab, chasing the light that ran through the windows in chalky streams.

After winding through the rest of the corridors at a wild pace Pan eventually found herself back in the barren outdoors.  She slowed her pace considerably, but continued away until the ruins were out of sight.

But not out of mind.

And with a well practised click and flick of the wrist she opened the capsule and boarded her new spaceship.  The thought alone of possessing such a device brought her a little joy.  Escapism can work on many levels.

***

It took Pan a further day to prepare for her embarkation.  Even though she had been through the motions before the entire business weighed heavily on her.  Already she was missing her parents, despite not having felt the loss much during the many years wasted in The Room of Spirit and Time.

Throughout the day of preparation Pan managed to keep her mind off Trunks for a good portion of time. Of course, every now and then small memories would jump unexpectedly into her consciousness.  After telling everyone of his death it all seemed much more real to Pan and she had come to believe the lie.  After all, it did seem an inescapable truth.  Her ki had been high enough for long enough.  If he was going to come, he would be here by now.  At least that was a truth she assumed she could rely on.  As strong as she wanted to be about it, she still found herself chasing echoes of his laugh and smile through the tunnels of her head.

But as Pan sat in the pilots seat looking down on the shrinking world of her past she didn't even attempt to stem the flow of shadows and memories that lay on that now barren earth.  Letting the tears roll down her cheeks didn't stop the pain, but it did help.  Not much, but it did help.

Before take off she had stood quietly looking over all that she was about to leave behind.  It crossed her mind that she many never return here.  She bent and reached her had towards the gritty dirt at the base of her ship, rubbing it between her fingers.  A chilly wind blew through her as she did so and to Pan it seemed so invasive, as if it were penetrating to her deepest chambers and nipping at those nerves.  In a panicky haste she boarded the ship and prepared to take off.

Now, as she kept her eyes fixed steadily on the green and blue world, swirling with white she ran her fingers together, still feeling the grit in her pores.  Secretly, a part of her hoped it would never wash away, but another voice in her couldn't wait to find the sink.

***

A small gathering of young men stumbled through the broken streets.  Yelling out over and over, "Is anybody there?  Can you hear me?  We're here to help!  Hello?"  It hadn't taken long for humanity to truly come through.  Such makeshift Search and Rescue groups had popped up everywhere.  This particular group had taken shelter in a former government building.  The stronger men had dragged as many beds as they could and those less fit stayed and tended to the few survivors that they found.  Unfortunately, without a doctor there wasn't a lot they could do for most of them, save the decency of a funeral.

However, there were always exceptions.  One boy in particular stood out.  He had been brought in on the edge of life and the one nurse that was present didn't give him more than a few hours.  Two days later he was still breathing, tottering on the brink of death, but certainly no worse than when he had been uncovered.  The rescuer who found him claimed that he was conscious initially.  Apparently a weak and bloodied hand had been reaching through the rubble.  Nurse Kawata had told this boy, Takashi, that he mustn't be silly – it was clearly evident that this kid was lucky to be simply drawing in breath.  The matter was dropped quickly though.  Such times were not suited to petty differences.

This boy's recovery was widely desired though, as a good meal had become a rarity in these times and there were rumours that the boy was a Chef.  It was only a pipe dream to most, but Takashi still insisted that the boy was calling out for his Pans in his last moments of consciousness. 

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_Please review - sincere feedback is always sincerely appreciated._

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	8. Waiting

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I WILL WAIT FOR YOU

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"If you are not too long, I will wait here for you all my life." – Oscar Wilde

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Chapter 8: Waiting

For somebody who had just spent many years staring into a blinding and endless white, Pan got sick of the black very quickly. It seemed only more infinite, more foreboding, more desolate. From an infinite universe she could not find a single thought to hold on to. Nothing seemed to console her. Her father's words, while kind, seemed surprisingly empty to her without the caring smile to accompany them. As she rested her head for the night and lay locked in a perpetual insomnia she could sometimes imagine feeling Trunks alive. As if a thin thread between their hearts kept them connected. The idea kept her awake at night, but was discarded as quickly as possible, tossed aside to a sudden bout of training or a loud blast from the stereo.

Sleep turned into a sporadic event, chased and treasured when it would come. It was readily interrupted by a distant calling; visions of drowning in her fathers blood once more; thoughts of her entire family passed to another world without her. And there were the guilty pleasures – the dreams of Trunks. The pleasure was short lived. When she awoke she was shivering and feeling emptier than before. Sometimes amongst the hollow fear she could feel that threat give a gentle tug.

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This stupid solidarity is sending my mind into madness, she thought bitterly. "There is no thread, no cord of darkness where spirits may meet." Saying it out loud made it that much more asinine and she seemed satisfied. It did seem likely that all she felt was her longing, hope distorting her perceptions of it.

Still the days before her seemed unbearable. She was lost in the storm without a port to hold on to...no Trunks to keep her thoughts straight. Insanity and lucidity passed through her on a daily basis, gripping her in her own nightmares.

All she could do was train, concentrating her newfound powers. Perhaps in her search for the Dragonballs she would be able to use this. Being in a battle had always focussed her – a form of extreme therapy. At moments her primary mission was only to find those moments of clarity, the resurrection of those passed on only a kickback of the peace of mind.

***

"Afternoon, Laura. How's it going?"

"Same story. Didn't find a single survivor today. It's just a slaughterhouse out there. I don't know how long it's been since we've actually found someone in a condition that we are able to help them."

"I know what you mean. Carlos came in earlier with an old woman that didn't seem to know which way was up. Nobody could find anything wrong with her other than the confusion, but a few hours later they went to check on her and she was dead."

Takeshi picked at the dirt idly, tossing small pebbles about randomly. "I don't think I'm going to go out searching tomorrow."

"Why not? They need all the hands they can get."

"What for?! I never fancied a career as an undertaker." With the intention of seeking solitude, Takeshi took to his feet and idly wandered past his friend.

"Come on, don't be like that. You've saved so many people."

Takeshi carried on walking.

"You know that chef guy you found woke up earlier today."

***

"Good Afternoon." The nurse's bright voice seemed vaguely inappropriate for Trunks' current disposition.

"Pan?" Trunks asked with a groggy undertone to his weak voice.

"Rest, there will be plenty of time to worry about such things later. You're lucky to be alive. Take this." She offered him a small cup of water.

With his increasing awareness Trunks realised that he was indeed very thirsty. He took the offered water and started to gulp it down.

The nurse lay a gently hand on his forearm. "Just sip it slowly. You don't want to throw it up again."

Trunks nodded.

As Trunks sat sipping the drink the nurse introduced herself. "I'm Sarah."

Trunks stopped drinking and looked up at her. "Trunks."

"Trunks. OK." She filed the name away in her head, matching it with his unusual physique.

Trunks quickly continued. "Have you seen my girlfriend, Pan Son. Is she around?" Trunks could almost feel the proverbial straws clutched in his hands.

"Your girlfriend's name is Pan?" she asked, sounding vaguely amused but also disappointed, although Trunks could not figure out why.

He nodded. "Yes, Pan Son. Do you know her?" Even in his weakened state his desperation was evident.

"I can't recall meeting anyone by that name, but I'll ask around for you."

Trunks took another sip. "Thank you" he breathed. He took in a deep breath and handed the empty cup back to the nurse. "It's really important that I find her."

"I'm sure it is." She smiled offering what she hoped was a comforting gesture.

Trunks suddenly sat up, fully erect. He looked around as if seeing for the first time. "Where am I?!" he cried.

Sarah instantly reacted, pushing him back down into the makeshift bed. "Shh... Lie down and I'll explain everything to you. Then you must promise to rest. You need to regain your strength. Please be quiet though. There are many others here who also need to sleep."

Trunks allowed himself to be laid out, slightly bemused by Sarah's concern for him, knowing that with his ancestry he was already far from weak. Although the world did seem to be closing in on him and drawing back in time with his breath. The ringing in his ears was also somewhat disconcerting. Rest seemed like a really good idea.

Watching the young man relax Sarah launched into an explanation, one that she had almost refined to a rehearsed speech.

***

From a distance the planet looked completely uninhabited, but as the ship drew closer Pan realised that there was civilisation scattered amongst the mountainous terrain. The few supplies she had managed to gather had begun to run out and it was almost an instant decision to quickly meet and greet with the community. In order to prevent any fear or misunderstanding Pan lowered the ship in an unpopulated clearing at the bottom of a shallow gully, intending to arrive in the closest village on foot.

She drifted up and out of the valley, her feet landing on the ground with a crunch. The rocks beneath her feet gave an unstable foundation, but she carried on, determined not to submit to the desire to float above it all. The two suns that both sat very high in the sky bore down on her quickly turning her face a light shade of pink, glistening with the preliminary sheen of sweat.

As she made her way she became aware of the wide range of animals. They looked at her with an almost knowing curiosity and she began to wonder if they were not the local sentient life forms. They kept a distance and hid well in their natural environment. But they were always there in the background, whether Pan remembered to see them or not. Had she not known of the Saiyan blood in her veins she might have feared the situation, but with her mind elsewhere the concepts of threat barely registered.

Had she not been so distracted by her thoughts, as she had frequently been lately, she might have noticed the subtle approach of a native. The dry dirt beneath his feet would not have been the give-away though as he moved with a familiarity of the land and an innate grace born of something that would seem more majestic and mystical than experience. What was so striking about his appearance was the tints of an earthly green mixed with his dark hair that perfectly matched his eyes. From a distance he began to trail Pan, quietly observing with an inherent curiosity.

Only moments later Pan reached the peak of a particularly high hill. As she scrabbled to her feet from her four limbs climbing posture her eyes fell on a great expanse of water. A lake, or maybe an ocean. It was a clear blue and beneath the two suns it appeared to take on an illumination of its own, like a second moon. With renewed energy and an added bounce to her step Pan began to slip and straggle her way towards the oasis.

For a brief moment she became aware of the wind blowing in her face, cooling the perspiration that had beaded on her forehead. The chill sent a shiver down her spine. It wasn't a pleasant feeling, but in the moment - for the first time in a long time - she felt real. In a sweeping realisation she understood that her time in starch, unnatural environments had sent her a little mad. But now with rocks crunching painfully beneath her feat and sweat dripping down her back she could feel herself recovering. With the idea of seeing Trunks again still a worrying concept she drew strength from the fact that she loved him and he loved her. One could feign words, but the affection that lay behind his words was an almost tangible substance that she knew to be love. She smiled to herself, despite her discomfort and carried on towards the water; her moment of clarity over.

As she neared the water Pan noticed the rock particles becoming smaller, eventually giving way to sand which was a shining hot yellow. Her footprints became more apparent until she reached the waters edge. As the water washed past her feet it swept her footprints away. It was a shame, she mused, that her past could not be washed away so easily. The waves that washed ashore masked any true reflections in the water, but Pan stared into it as if expecting to see something.

And surprisingly enough she did.

A flash of luminous green caught her attention instantly. Spinning about on her heels she sought the source of the unusual occurence. Just as she was about to clock the event up to a trick of the light she heard a faint scrunch of dirt. Her senses kicked in and she noticed an unusually large shadow being passed out from both sides of a large rock.

Cautiously she crept towards it, wincing at the sound her feet made as she left the soft sand and her shoes hit the desert floor. Just as she was about to pounce a small deer like creature let out a bleat and emerged from behind the rock. "Mannix, no!" A young boy leapt out after it, attempting to catch the small animal. He failed and landed with a thud at Pan's feet.

He looked up at her and smiled nervously. "Hi, I'm Mowg."

Pan stared at him unsure exactly what to think. With him lying ungracefully at her feet, face in the dirt he hardly seemed a threat. She returned his introduction with a pseudo-smile.

Mowg watched his Mannix trot off to gnaw on a weedy plant. He surrendered to his awkward position and stood up, failing to brush himself off.

Pan smirked, suddenly trusting this person more than she normally would a stranger. He did not look dangerous, but he certainly looked very ridiculous. After a restrained giggle she answered. "I'm Pan."

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	9. Moralia

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I WILL WAIT FOR YOU

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If you are not too long, I will wait here for you all my life. – Oscar Wilde

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragonball or any of the Dragonball characters, concepts or settings. 

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Authors notes: Over one year later; I'm back, I think. Hiya! Sorry for the prolonged absence. I doubt any of you remember this story, but if you do, then hello fellow dinosaur. To everyone else, this story isn't my usual sort of work, but just an enjoyable side-project - a story that I couldn't get out of my head. Don't expect regular updates (if you don't believe me, re-read that first line.) Enjoy! -authors_fingers@hotmail.com

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Chapter Nine: Moralia

"Its nice to meet you, Pan" Mowg replied eagerly. "What brings you to Moralia? Are you here for the markets?"

Pan knitted her eyebrows slightly. "I'm here to, uh, stock up."

"Well you've come to the right place. Moralia has been a galactic trading post for sixteen semis. The miners of Agul first colonised it in a period they designated 61. You can still find some of the settlements around if you know where to look. The markets have moved a long way inland. Some seven or eight semis ago there was a change in tidal patterns which forced the markets away from the shores. Of course now that has all settled down, but the markets are too well established to move. Personally I would love to go shopping along the waters edge, but you just try convincing the council of that - I know how hard it is because I've tried. Anyway, as I'm sure you are wondering, the reason for the change in tidal patterns is currently unknown. There was little local astronomical measurement done at the time, so all we have to go on is current orbitals and the residual tilt of the various moons. You see that hill all the way over beyond Lestle - that's the one with the two peaks, see the higher one has a bit of snow still scattered on it - yeah, just behind there is a place called Lavagh. It's the home of one of my friends who is working on the problem. He's got a pretty neat observatory set up there too. You know what? He'd love to meet you. I wasn't going to see him until this afternoon, but I don't think he'd mind. Where did you say you were from?"

Pan felt exhausted for Mowg, because his brief history of the planet clearly hadn't exhausted him. His tirade of information all appeared to scratch the surface of a very long and typical story. The passion that his words were dipped in gave it an interesting twist though and in a momentary lapse of concentration bought on by the strange sensation that he had enveloped her in she almost considered meeting this unnamed friend. However, at that moment, in her head Trunks smiled at her; warmth crept out from deep down in the dark haunts of her mind. It re-awoke her old pain and she searched her brain for a reasonably polite, but firm excuse. The truth seemed to be as good as any other lie - all equally incredible. "Sorry, I can't. I really am only here for a quick stop."

"Oh." If Mowg was disappointed he certainly didn't show it. "Well, if you are ever interested in any of my work I'll be around here. I'm working just a few kruns north of here. I'm hoping to find evidence of early Minson civilisation. You see, I have this theory…" For the first time since they met, Mowg suddenly seemed self-conscious and slightly depressed. "You probably don't care. Anyway, the markets are that way," he told her, waving her hand in a fairly nondescript direction. "And sorry for the using Sarayan measurements, but you never told me where you're from, so I can't do the conversion. But have a nice trip. I hope you find what you need."

"Thanks Mowg. I appreciate your help." Pan offered a weak smile, knowing it was to be little consolation for Mowg. His agreement with this notion was indicated by his next move, which was to turn about and leave. Mannix, who had been quietly grazing about his feet trotted after him.

As Pan watched the pair leave, she felt a strong pull in her gut. She found it hard to know whether it was her heart reminding her of how lonely she was in the world now, or if it was her mind realising that a friend could be useful in times ahead, or if maybe it was just a human reaction to another's hurt feelings. Whatever the cause of the increasingly strong twitch, she called out to him, "Mowg, I'm from a planet called Earth."

Her words had a stronger effect than she had anticipated. Mowg stopped very suddenly and she saw muscles under his lose clothing clench slightly. After only a second he turned around. Pan could have sworn she saw a look of surprise wiped off his face in the last second before he faced her. "Really?!" he exclaimed. His tiring enthusiasm returning. "That's amazing." For a second he furrowed his brown so strongly Pan wondered if he had learnt the expression off a caricature. As he broke the display he asked, "Would you like me to show you the way to the market? I'd really love to talk to you."

The strong reaction had Pan a little worried, but remembering the feeling that had engulfed her when he left she nodded her head slightly, before adding, "As long as we walk fast."

"You've got it!" Mowg replied.

***

Trunks lay on his bed staring at the crumbling tiles on the roof, without seeing a single one. The last thing he could remember was a blinding light followed by his father's desperate yells…and the sounds of a battle, raging…without him. He squeezed his eyes shut. Sarah had filled in a few gaps, but she had missed the part where he and his friends has fought…Trunks racked his brain. Every thought in his head was loosely connected - most of his memory had been knocked right off every brain cell. He remembered fighting, but not what he was fighting.

The one thing he could remember was Pan. His head had taken a fair beating, but his heart was still beating strong and that's where he had kept his thoughts of her. At least she is not dead, he thought to himself, although he had no idea how he knew that. The alternative was unthinkable though, so the issue became how and not if he would find her.

The cracks in the tiles came into his vision, his determination to find Pan breaking his reverie, but he was still weak and lay in mediation, trying to heal. It wasn't long before the cracks merged back into Pan's smiling face and Trunks drifted off into a slightly more peaceful slumber.

But in his peaceful sleep, he still sensed he was alone. The real rest would not come until he had found Pan.

***

"So what's your big interest in Earth?" Pan asked, trying to sound casual, although a touch of suspicion edged past her guard.

"Are you kidding me?! Earth's beginnings are fascinating. The inhabitants moved so quickly. Maybe I don't fully agree with the direction they moved in, but one must admit that they did it well. I think you can forgive someone for punching you in the face if they do it with style."

"Do you want to test that theory?" Pan asked, unsure of why she was relaxing so much so fast.

Mowg grinned and rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Maybe not…not that you couldn't do it with style or anything, but you seem kind of strong and all, for a girl and Mannix doesn't like it when people show aggression towards me."

Pan looked down at the creature that was still following them, his short legs pumping to keep up with her pace. She found it hard to believe that it could pose any real threat to the weakest of animals, however, kept the thought unvoiced.

Mowg continued. "Anyway, my favourite part of Earth's history is the development of civilisation in Mesopotamia. When you look at the geography of the area it's no wonder that it developed the way it did, so I suppose its not so exciting in that respect. What interests me is how much you can rely on that predicability. The people colonising the area picked up on every possible advantage that could be gained and every threat posed by the environment. I guess that's all evident by the different settlement patterns along the Tigris and the Euphrates. The Tigris so violent and unpredictable leading to a hardened community - I can easily liken it to the miners who came here to unwind."

Pan smiled politely, no longer really listening. She just let the enthusiasm wash over her, enjoying the sensation. All he seemed to need was the occasional nod and "Mmmhmm" to keep him going. She was comforted by the fact that she was asked to surrender very little information. After realising that it was pure interest that kept him going she ceased to be frustrated by his endless speaking and simply appreciated the new constant. It did occur to her that there could be a reason this area was so void of intelligent life -- and she could well be walking next to it.

It wasn't long before they did start to come across beings of various forms. Some smiled, or performed what Pan interpreted as their cultural equivalent, but most stared directly ahead, refusing to make eye contact with any other traveller. From the appearance of some of those who passed her on the dirt track, it dawned on her that Moralia may not be the beauteous and wholesome planet that Mowg had described to her. While this did not concern her too greatly, it did raise further suspicions about Mowg's intentions and she began to wish she had simply allowed herself to live with his hurt feelings on her conscience. Furthermore, she presumed herself able to defend herself against the general villains of the Universe, but did not see the point in taking an unnecessary risk. She resolved to lose Mowg at the earliest convenience and leave the planet that night.

***

The markets were the one thing that turned out as Mowg had promised. Busy, crammed with hundreds of different life forms and noisier than Trunks and Goten after they had knocked back a few beers. From every angle shouts and colour attacked Pan's senses. Music cracked, slapped, pounded and twanged beneath the voices. Smells, both the familiar and unfamiliar, drowned her nose and for some time she was unable to distinguish between the different sources, instead smelling only one hot and earthy aroma of the Marketplace of Moralia.

Mowg carried on talking, but no longer could she focus on his voice. His eyes communicated the same excitement though. Pan didn't notice that his discussion had led into a more practical stream until he lightly took hold of her arm.

Pan threw Mowg's hand off, out of reaction as she quickly explained, her cheeks reddening.

"It's OK. I know this place is a bit overwhelming at first. I was just asking what sort of supplies you were after."

Pan thought for a moment. "Fresh food mostly. But I could do with a good drink too."

"Food….right…" He raised his eyebrows, sceptical.

"What, you're going to tell me that in a place this big you can't buy fresh food." Pan asked, incredulous.

"No." He hastily corrected, "I mean, there is just a LOT of food for sale here, you might need to be more specific."

"Well alright then, some fresh fruit."

"To the best fruit stall in the market!" Mowg exclaimed loudly, gallantly pointed over her shoulder, his other hand on his hip. He was however ignored by all those surrounding him - all clearly used to such claims.

Pan had to admit that he moved through the crowd with great style and ease. It would have been easy to get left behind, but she justified grabbing onto his shirt to stay with him by the fact that she would probably never find her way back to the original path without him. After that he would become more expendable.

An abrupt stop broke her thoughts and she looked up to see Mowg browsing various fruits, few of which she recognised. He held up what looked like a small orange. "You should get some of these - they contain natural preservatives which mean you could store them on your ship for weeks and they'd still be fresh."

Pan shrugged, "Mmmkay."

She barely got the word out before he started again. "Oh and you simply have to try one of these. You'd be lucky to find something like this on Earth. Here, try one."

Pan looked over at the stall's owner who clearly disapproved of the idea. "Don't you think we should pay for it first."

Mowg noticed her line of vision but did not come to a similar conclusion. "Don't worry about it. You're going to pay aren't you? How much money do you have anyway?" As he spoke he passed her the bright pink cucumber that he had held.

She took a small nibble. It was juicy and soft like a peach, with a rich and creamy flavour not unlike coffee. "Just get me enough for a couple of days, I'm sure I'll have enough zenni to pay for it. Make sure you get a few more of these though, they're great." She had taken another large bite as she spoke and now a slight trail of light pink juice crept from the corner of her lips.

The instant the words were out of her mouth she knew that it was a mistake. She swallowed her mouthful, the food falling heavily to the pit of her stomach like a rock. The stall owner's glare increased into a complete glower and several people around her stared at her with varied reactions. Mowg just grimaced nervously and raised his eyebrows slightly. "Uh, Pan, they don't take zenni here. You're going to need some real money."

Pan broke out into a blush and could have sworn she felt sweat break. "Oh, well I, err…"

Mowg chuckled, amused by her embarrassment. "Don't worry, I'll take care of it. Lets just say you owe me one."

Behind his final words Pan could hear the smug ring of 'Checkmate'.

***

Please review! I would like to know if I've picked this story back up okay.

***


	10. Trust

I WILL WAIT FOR YOU

If you are not too long, I will wait here for you all my life. – Oscar Wilde

Disclaimer: Not mine

__

Chapter 10: Trust

For that instant Pan felt Trunks' absence stronger than she had in days. She could feel the full force of the uncertainty that had been skipping about her head. More than anything for that moment she wanted Trunks there; someone to lean on. The tide of loneliness with the speed it had come and she quickly regained her composure, hoping that none of the sweeping emotions had crossed her face. She smiled sweetly, much the same way she always did when trying to explain that she already had a boyfriend and didn't really want a drink. The training she had undergone to perfect her fitness, flexibility and skill often left gaps in her technique though, and gaps that only experience could fill. She had always been grateful that she hadn't been involved in numerous epic battles, but now she was feeling those flaws in her experience acutely.

The owner of the stall quickly grabbed all the tokens that Mowg offered casually and started pushing the pair away. Their welcome had been overstayed and he bore no qualms about showing it. After all, he had the best thebal's in the entire market.

Pan watched Mowg's eyes wander off to other markets and scouted out an escape route. She hated to leave Mowg, especially in such a hurry. He seemed so sweet, but something wasn't quite right with the entire situation. That little episode at the fruit stall had seemed so out of character she almost wondered if she had been reading her own nervousness into his actions. In the few moments since it had passed her memory had been tainted and she could no longer accurately replay the events in her head. Subjective reality certainly kicked in at the most frustrating times, she thought angrily.

Then ran.

Inevitably the people in the market blocked her way at every turn. It would have amazed her how all laws of probability were crashing into her in the form of the population of the entire market, all moving in the exact opposite direction to her if only she had not been concentrating so hard on not making a scene. The plan was to just disappear into the crowd at high speed, get back to her ship, find some Dragonballs and collapse into Trunks' arms and live happily ever after.

It seems that plans are destined to only ever be plans though, rarely fulfilled to even the smallest extent. Mowg started running after her. "Pan! Pan!" he called. The fact that he could be heard over the dull roar of the market indicated he was already too close. He had experience moving through places like this. All Pan had to do was make it out of the market and she could fly off unnoticed and laugh guiltily at leaving such a kind person behind.

Plans are however destined to only ever be plans. Pan felt a slightly sticky hand close around her taut upper arm and was surprised by the strength in the grip. She shook it off with relative ease though and carried on at a slower pace, resigned to his determination.

"What's the problem, Pan?"

"Nothing, I just really have to get going."

"Without saying goodbye."

"I'm in a hurry."

"For what?"

"I have something really important to do."

"Oh, OK." Mowg looked hurt. It surprised Pan that in the short amount of time they had spent together he had developed a fairly strong emotional connection. It would, however, not have surprised her in the least if this was his usual style.

Obviously he had expected her to apologise or offer further explanation because when she continued walking and remained silent he kept pace and started again. "Look, Pan, I've obviously offended you or something. I'm not that good with current Earth customs, so whatever it is I'm sorry. But I really am interested; we don't get many people from Earth out here. Can I just get you something to eat, offer you a comfortable bed for a night and you can get back to whatever it is that's so important tomorrow. It's going to be dark in a few hours anyway."

Pan tried very hard to ignore the logic of his words, not to mention the pull of the thought of a decent meal. Fighting never left a lot of time for cooking lessons.

"Come on," he implored, "I promise I'll be good."

The grin he offered with those words looked so innocent, Pan could barely remember being frightened of such a creature. She noticed that Mannix had taken up their trail once more. If that thing could trust him, then surely she could too.

It never occurred to her that it was the overwhelming loneliness that actually caused her to accept the offer.

It was only another day before Trunks was back on his feet and assisting with the recovery operation. He had spent his first few hours on his feet searching through the wounded and dead looking for Pan. He couldn't sense her while it was disconcerting it comforted him in that she was not likely to be among this group. It meant she was still out there somewhere, hopefully looking for him with the same ardour.

He had asked around, but nobody really seemed to know what had taken place. Nuclear war, earthquake and alien invasion were all mentioned. The latter caused a few sniggers, but Trunks cringed when he heard it, knowing it was the most likely explanation.

By the end of the day he had formulated a plan though, he only hoped that it would be realised by the next day. While he knew he could offer a lot to the rescue efforts here, his loyalties lay elsewhere, with the woman he had promised his future to. The rest of the world would have to wait.

Mowg took Pan in the direction of her ship to allay her fears slightly, sensing she was still ill at ease. When they reached the waterfront they had met on he invited her to sit and relax. "My camp is just in those bushes," he told her, pointing towards a seemingly endless cluster of trees. "I'll go and get something for us to eat and get a fire going. Shortly the Ritche's will start lighting up."

Pan did not enquire what Ritche's were, but offered a genuine smile and dropped down to the soft sand. Emotional fatigue had certainly done a number on her today.

Mowg returned within moments carrying armfuls of equipment. He dumped it a few metres from her position and quickly offered her a bowl of fruit that he had purchased earlier that day along with several other roots and berries she had seen him gather along the journey. She nervously picked at the offering as she helped him get the fire going.

Pan began to feel ashamed when she saw Mowg cook. He could do more over an open fire than she could in a fully equipped kitchen. He did not show any outward signs of contempt for her lack of input into the meal though and they settled down to polite conversation, which quickly led to his investigations into the history of the area.

The topic did not interest Pan, but the thrill of caring human company washed through her in waves, warming all the corners of her heart that had been cooled by her trip. Certain places couldn't be reached by memories of Trunks and her family alone. Of course, the fire that Mowg had blazing and the food in her stomach contributed to the warmth.

Then Pan found out what Riche's were. Darting through the water were silver streams of light, it took her a minute to translate the light to some kind of aquatic life in her head. Mowg smiled. "Bet you don't have that on Earth."

Pan shook her head. "We have fireflies though."

"Yeah?" he asked, obviously wanting further information.

"They're small insects that light up at night, a lot like that I guess, only the light is a lot more yellow."

Mowg let his hand advance slowly towards Pan's. She did not notice until his warm fingertips made contact though. She quickly moved her hand and shuffled a little further away from Mowg.

"Sorry." He sounded genuine.

"It's OK," Pan replied, wondering why it had not bothered her as much as it would normally.

Still, she did not realise just how lonely she was.

The awkward silence did not drag out for long though. Mowg produced another root from seemingly nowhere and held it out to her. "Desert."

"Thanks." Pan bit into it. It was very sweet and she did not waste much time in devouring the entire thing, enjoying the sensation of her stomach filling again. The meal had not been enough for a Saiyan, but she had eaten more than her fair share and did not like to ask for more.

By now Pan was feeling very tired though - she kept yawning and apologising. Finally Mowg gave up and told her to get some sleep and that the sand really was the most comfortable bed one could hope for. He pulled a blanket from his pile of equipment and draped it over her, his hands lingering for maybe a second too long. Pan barely noticed, but snuggled a little further down into the sand - it still retained some of the sun's warmth. It was nice not to be alone while sleeping again.

Pan awoke what seemed like only hours later with a burning glow on her face. The fire had long ago extinguished. Mowg was gone.

Even though she had spent a great deal of effort to lose the young fellow, Pan felt a twang of loss at his disappearance.

A thought of Trunks' smile on a morning like this as she began to stir quickly dispelled the loneliness. Her reason for the mission renewed and her strength and energy returned after the sleep (albeit shorter than she would have liked) she trampled back to her ship and boarded.

Within moments she was back in space, watching the countdown to arrival tick over 2 days. 'Give it another day to find the Dragonballs, that's 3 days until I see Trunks again' she thought. Still tired she settled back down to sleep with a much larger smile on her face.

It felt like her entire life had consisted of waking up lately and all she wanted to do was sleep. Something had woken her up though. With a jolt her eyes ran to the controls wondering exactly what could have gone wrong. The controls however blinked away, oblivious to any untoward influence. Pan noted by the countdown that she had been asleep for another six hours.

"Must've been tired," she muttered to herself.

"Yeah, tival's can do that to you," came from behind her.

Thanks for reading. Please review.


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